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Description:

Partimage is a Linux utility which saves partitions having a supported file system to an image file. Most Linux and Windows file systems are supported. The image file can be compressed with the gzip / bzip2 programs to save disk space, and they can be split into multiple files to be copied on CDs / DVDs, Partitions can also be saved across the network since version 0.6.0 using the partimage network support, or using Samba / NFS. If you don't want to install Partimage, you can download and burn SystemRescueCd. It's a livecd that allows to use Partimage immediately even if your computer has no operating system installed (useful to restore an image), and it allows to save an image on a DVD on the fly.

This helps us in creating and restoring a Linux image.

Optimize setup time.

Steps to take image and store it on the same machine:

1. Create a separate partition on your Linux machine [this is to store your image].

   Ex: Go to YaST2 disk
   Create new partition on /dev/hdax or /dev/sdax and mount point as /image.

2. Boot with the partimage CD and navigate using default options.
3. At the prompt, create a temp directory
   

   Ex: mkdir temp
   		   
   		   

4. Mount this on your storage partition created in step1.
   

   Syntax:   mount <Storage partition> <temp directory>
   Ex:  mount /dev/hdax temp 
   		   
   		   

5. Go to the temp directory
   cd temp
6. Type partimage press Enter
7. Observe the part image GUI.
   

   Select which partition you wish to take image like root partition [Example /dev/sda1/ or /dev/hda1].
   Press tab key 
   Enter image file name [FYI: it will add .000 at the end of file name]
   Press tab key 
   
   if(Creating Image == “true” ){
   Select = “Save Image option and press F5”;
     }
   else {
   Select=”Restore Image option and press F5”;
          }
   	   
   

Press OK button..

It will start creating/restoring the image.

Disclaimer: As with everything else at Cool Solutions, this content is definitely not supported by Novell (so don't even think of calling Support if you try something and it blows up).

It was contributed by a community member and is published "as is." It seems to have worked for at least one person, and might work for you. But please be sure to test, test, test before you do anything drastic with it.